WINNIPEG -- The experiment is only a couple of games old, but new Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice says hes leaving Dustin Byfuglien at forward for now. "Im going to leave him there until I . . . see something that I need to change," he said Tuesday. "That may be next week, that may be next month, that may be never. But Im not making a decision until I need to." Maurice was impressed with how Byfuglien played in Winnipegs 5-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday night. "I think I have a pretty good handle on what hes capable of doing and I think you saw that," the coach said after a short but intense practice. Byfuglien had two assists versus Phoenix and remains the third highest-scoring defenceman in the league with 37 points. He still jumps back in on the point on power plays although at even strength he plays forward. "Sometimes its a little tough to stay on the point but its good I get out there a little more," Byfuglien says. "Im more comfortable on D so its a lot easier to go back there and just feel comfortable and know that Im doing a lot better." Although he played forward with the Chicago Blackhawks, Byfuglien says he still doesnt feel all that comfortable in the role with the Jets. "Definitely not. It will take a few weeks for that one." Maurice was pleased overall with the energy level the team showed Tuesday and says there may be too much focus on Byfuglien, in particular if he makes a mistake when many other players in a similar position go unnoticed. "We are a far better hockey team with Dustin Byfuglien at forward or at D playing close to his abilities," Maurice said. "Thats my goal. . . At the end of the day, if Ive got a guy I feel can play at the back end and up front, then thats (a) best-case scenario." Maurice replaced Claude Noel, fired on the weekend as the Jets floundered and lost five in a row. Noel left the new coach a note that Maurice said he didnt get a chance to read immediately. But after reading it Monday, he had nothing but praise for his predecessor. "The point was there are very special people here, its a great town, he made that point, great organization and great players. When you get fired, youre dealing with a lot of tough emotions. For him to take time, that just shows how much he cares and the quality of man that he is. . . "He grew to love the team and the town and he was a good coach." He said he wants to thank Noel for the good work that he did with the team that might have gone unappreciated with his firing. "And Im speaking from experience." Maurice was fired by the Carolina Hurricanes (twice) and the Toronto Maples Leafs. After the win the players were a lot more upbeat than they have been for weeks, although they know it was just one game. "It was good to get back on track but this is a process so we need to bring that same level of energy every night," said forward Blake Wheeler, who enjoyed hearing cheers instead of jeers from fans. "Its been tough. We know when we deserve to get booed off the ice. We know when we deserve to get cheered on." The word "playoffs" even re-entered the Jets vocabulary, although at 20-23-5 theyre still tied on points for last place in the Central Division with the Nashville Predators. "Our goal at the start of the year was to make the playoffs and youre never out of it until youre out of it," said rookie forward Mark Scheifele, the teams No. 1 draft pick in 2011 who has seven goals and 24 points so far this season and sits fifth among rookie scorers in the NHL. "Theres still a lot of games left. All we have to do is make a good push and play as a team." Cameron Meredith Jersey . The Marlies centre set up three goals, including the game-winner, as Toronto cruised to a 4-1 victory over the Oklahoma City Barons in American Hockey League action. Marcus Cooper Jersey .com) - Even-money favorite Liams Map proved a little too tough down the stretch and won Saturdays $100,000 Harlans Holiday Stakes at Gulfstream Park. http://www.probearsonline.com/authentic-tarik-cohen-bears-jersey/. The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Jordan Howard Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Zach Miller Jersey . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The best-of-seven NLCS lasted five games, but St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny will tell you it was a dogfight for both ballclubs. Mathenys Cardinals were denied at the turnstiles of entering a third World Series appearance in the last four years with Thursday nights heartbreaking 6-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the ninth inning. It felt like a dogfight, and I think its good for the game of baseball, Matheny said. Were trying to win games but in retrospect you see that thats the kind of series I think people are expecting to see in the playoffs. I think the Giants, even though we only snuck out one, I think they knew they were in a fight. Some fans may argue watching balls sail out of the park is more entertaining, but others were treated to competitive baseball in this years NLCS. There were no homers hit in San Franciscos 3-0 victory in Game 1, but the Cardinals belted four in a 5-4 win in Game 2, including Kolten Wongs game-winner in the bottom of the ninth. Randal Grichuk hit the lone homer for St. Louis in Game 3 and Cardinals relief pitcher Randy Choate allowed the winning run to score in the bottom of the 10th on a throwing error to first base. The Cardinals never recovered after that and dropped the next two games. Wong went deep in a 6-4 loss in Game 4 after St. Louis blew a 4-3 lead, and homers by Matt Adams and Tony Cruz werent enough in Thursdays series-ending setback. Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha came out of the bullpen in a crucial situation during the ninth inning. Wacha, the 2013 NLCS MVP against Los Angeles, was limited to 19 starts in the regular season and compiled a 5-6 mark with a 3.20 earned run average. He surrendered a leadoff single to Pablo Sandoval and walked Brandon Belt one out later. Then, left-handed hitter Travis Ishikawa drilled a 2-0 offering just over the wall in right to send San Francisco back to the World Series. I was looking fastball, Ishikawa said of Wachas pitch. I knew that he didnt want to get behind 3-0, (with the) chance of walking the bases loaded. I was just trying to be aggressive. The Giants were very aggressive in capturing their third World Series berth in the last five years and have won their last two trips to the Fall Classic. Much like the Cardinals in past postseason series, the Giants used unlikely heroes such as Ishikawa, Michael Morse and Joe Panik to keep the season alive. The Cardinals intended to make a second straight World Series appearance and couldnt pull it off. Matheny stood by his decision to use Wacha because the bullpen was short. I put him in a tough place without giving him much work lately. Thats on me, Matheny said. Hes a star. I cant wait to watch him pitch again when hes healthy and watch over a full season what hes going to do. I like having him out there. Im not ever afraid to get him on the mound. Closer Trevor Rosenthal was on hold for a possible save opportunity and Matheny could have gone with Carlos Martinez, Choate or Seth Maness. He opted for Wacha because he has confidence in the right-hander against lefty hitters. The plan backfired when Ishikawa sent the AT&T Park crowd into a frenzy. St. Louis, which won 90 games in the regular season and has finished first or second in the NL Central each of the past six seasons, blew a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning when Morse hit a pinch-hit, game-tying solo home run to left field off Pat Neshek. Neshek took over for what Matheny described as a done Adam Wainwright, who lasted seven innings and left the game with a one-run lead. Wainwright wasnt himself this postseason and was apparently bothered by an elbow issue he claimed was more of a mechanics problem than physical. He was 0-1 in three postseason starts with a 5.63 earneed run average.dddddddddddd. His ERA never went higher than three in the regular season, as he posted a 20-9 record and a 2.38 ERA. Matheny was asked if it was tough pulling Wainwright after his seven strong innings Thursday. Not at all, he was done, Matheny said. Even going to him in six you could see he had worked hard, been very good. He was terrific, but he was done. Wainwrights only mistake was a two-run homer by Panik in the third inning. The Panik pitch he hit out, it was really a pretty good pitch, Wainwright said. It was in off the plate, and he made a very good swing. Baseball players occasionally will make good swings on balls. Aside from the pitch he hit out, I was sharp most of the day. It was easily Wainwrights best performance of October, and now with the offseason upon the Cardinals, the right-hander and the rest of the club can rest up before training resumes for next year. The Cardinals had a 4.25 earned run average in the postseason and their bullpen put up a 4.13 ERA. Meanwhile, the Dodgers lost to the Cardinals, 3-1, in the NLDS because Clayton Kershaw failed to carry over his impressive regular season into the playoffs. Wainwright was too little, too late on the big stage as well and could have made it easier on St. Louis had he been at full strength. St. Louis big bats were active in the postseason to the tune of 15 home runs, which accounted for 21 of the teams 34 runs. The Cardinals batted .235 in the playoffs and were last in the National League in homers in the regular season (105). Matt Holliday and Jhonny Peralta came up small in the playoffs after leading the Cardinals in most offensive categories over a 162-game stretch. Would the results have been different with a healthy Yadier Molina? Probably not because the Giants caught a wave of momentum, and also luck, at the right time to set up a World Series date with the Kansas City Royals. It would have been nice to see a Show Me State rematch of the 1985 World Series between the Cards and Royals, but the baseball Gods had other ideas. Its tough to go out like that after all the Cardinals endured throughout the regular season with Milwaukee collapsing and the battles against Pittsburgh for NL Central supremacy. Cincinnati dropped off in its quest for a division crown and the Cardinals took their chances while the iron was hot. Theres no question that everybody in this room is hurting right now, Cards third baseman Matt Carpenter said. But at the end of the day, when you look at what we were able to accomplish with the adversity that we had, some of the injuries, battling all the way to win the division and get us to this point, theres a lot to be proud of. Its going to probably take a while to let that sink in and appreciate what we were able to accomplish. Right now it does hurt. Matheny said the Cardinals should be proud of what they accomplished and not hang their heads. He admires the clubs resiliency and fight, and how it made no excuses even though there were plenty to be made such as injuries and ineffectiveness from a few players. Mathenys had nothing but success and gets the most out of his players in his time in the Gateway City. Will Matheny ever get over the hump and win a World Series? Maybe. Tony La Russa did it before he retired in 2011 and Matheny has plenty of years ahead of him to accomplish the feat whether its in St. Louis or not. Right now he has the best chance to win with this roster. The Cardinals may be down at the moment, and rightfully so. Theyll welcome back many familiar faces for spring training in 2015, when the doors swing open on what should be another promising season. So dont close the arches just yet for St. Louis because these types of runs into October are going to continue over the next few years. Cheap NFL Jerseys ChinaWholesale Jerseys 2019NFL Jerseys WholesaleWholesale Jerseys 2019Cheap Jerseys StoreCheap Jerseys StoreCheap Jerseys 2020 ' ' '

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